November 18

CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie is finishing up his second year on the job and by all accounts things could not be better. Each of the league’s nine teams is on solid financial ground, TV numbers are up and excitement for the game of football is strong. I spoke with Commissioner Ambrosie about what has transpired thus far under his watch and what we can expect in the future – including continued improvements relating to players’ health and safety and also the possibility of a 10th team and expansion to Halifax. It’s our cover story this month. As an aside, the first time Ambrosie and I spoke was about 30 years ago at the old Exhibition Stadium when I was a CKO cub radio reporter still in university covering the CFL and he was playing with the Toronto Argonauts.

The NHL and MGM Resorts of Las Vegas are teaming up on a partnership in the world of sports gambling. Such an idea would have seemed totally unfathomable just a few short years ago, but times are changing. The NHL will not receive a cut of gambling profits, but will rather provide MGM with data that can be used towards sports betting lines. The MGM casino already has multiyear deals in place with the NBA and WNBA.

Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with his childhood friend Bill Gates, died several weeks ago at the age of 65. Along with the likes of Gates, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, he was a pioneer in the world of personal computers. But once Allen became so incredibly rich he decided to leave the hustle and bustle of the hi-tech world to pursue his true passion – sports. As one of the world’s richest people, Allen used some of the billions of dollars he earned at Microsoft to purchase the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers. He lived long enough to see the Seahawks win the Super Bowl in February, 2014.

Did you know?… With a net worth of $22 billion, Paul Allen was the 44th richest person in the world in 2018.

On this our 10th anniversary edition, I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of The Canadian Business Journal’s loyal readers, corporate clients, and of course to the staff, past and present, who have contributed to the 120 issues we’ve published. Without your support this landmark would not have been possible.

The Canadian Business Journal endeavors to continue to the bring relevant business stories and to promote world class Canadian businesses and organizations each and every month.